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Cal/Osha Fines Company $106K For Deaths Of 2 Bridge Workers

A Burlingame construction company has been fined more than $106,000 for safety violations that led to the deaths in May of two Bay Area men working on a new bridge in Winters, the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health announced today.

Cal/OSHA cited Disney Construction Inc. and fined the company $106,110 for using a crane that had not been certified or inspected for defects according to current standards, failing to perform an unmanned trial run and having no qualified signal person assisting with the lifting operation.

The violations led to Marcus Zane Powell, 25, of Los Gatos, and Glenn Hodgson, 49, of Richmond, falling 80 feet to their deaths when they were hoisted by the crane on May 30.

Powell and Hodgson were working on the construction of a new bridge traversing the Putah Creek from Winters in Yolo County to Solano County, according to Cal/OSHA.

Construction crews were using a pile driver crane when a cable broke near the top of the pile driver at about 7 a.m. that day. Powell and Hodgson were raised on a platform 80 feet so they could check the cable, but the rigging on the platform dislodged and they fell to their deaths.

"Specific regulations are in place to operate the cranes safely," Cal/OSHA acting Chief Juliann Sum said. "This incident is a sobering reminder of the tragedies that can occur when safety protocols are not followed."